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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · content · wax · mark · bat · ball · chip · key

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — a country
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a great time
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — for a lock
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — ground
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com